


A Surprise

by Vesania94



Series: Aria: Shorts from Skyhold [1]
Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age - All Media Types, Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: Birthday Party, Birthday Presents, Cute, Dancing, Dancing and Singing, Drinking, F/M, Feel-good, M/M, Party, cullen dances?, dorian plays matchmaker, inquisitor is musically inclined, so I wrote some cuteness, solas likes knitting, the world has gone to shit, varric might too
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-06-24
Updated: 2016-06-24
Packaged: 2018-07-17 23:50:03
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,405
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7291114
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Vesania94/pseuds/Vesania94
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's Inquisitor Grace Trevelyan's birthday!</p>
<p>Enjoy the good feels everyone!</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Surprise

The tavern was in uproar, glasses and mugs being pulled this way and that way, ale slopping over the floor, and in the middle was Grace, surrounded by her friends. She giggled beneath the banner that someone had made, and someone else had enchanted to rain sparkles, reading very clearly in a large blocky hand “Happy Birthday Inquisitor”

Bull passed her a flask full of some unknown alcohol and she took a small sip, spluttering as it hit her tongue.

“Shit, Bull! That stuff could kill a giant!” She said, wiping her mouth, steadying herself on the bar counter as her head spun. She gratefully accepted a glass of her usual brew and sat down, only to be plied with boxes and boxes of things. Once again the tavern grew with the roar of “Happy birthday Inquisitor!”

“Open mine first, Inky!” Sera laughed, shoving a box into her hand. She opened it to see a small book of sketches, all wonderfully detailed, of Lily and her. She hugged the elf, setting it to the side, and casting the wrapping to the floor. Varric gave her a copy of Tales of the Champion, signed by Circinae and himself, Bull gave her a bottle of her favorite scotch, while Josephine had gotten her favorite chocolates from Val Royeaux. Blackwall gave her a fabulously intricate carving of dragon, modeled after the one they had seen in the Hinterlands. Cole apparently dropped a pain relief potion in her lap at some point, and she smiled thinking about how much she would need this in the morning. Vivienne had given her a beautiful set of enchanted bracers to replace her old worn leather ones, the new ones glinting with runes worked into them to help amplify fire magic, while Dagna and Harritt gave her a new cowl for her armor. Cassandra gave her a new set of daggers, and Dorian gave her a golden filigree barrette for her hair. Leliana’s present was one of a pair of beautiful blue silk shoes. One of the more surprising gifts was Solas’ present, a beautifully knitted shawl made of an emerald green silk, featuring, upon further inspection, a lace pattern of wolves chasing each other through trees. As Grace pressed him for details, he finally admitted to making himself.

“Thank you so much! It’s beautiful everyone!” Grace gushed, piling the gifts on the counter. It was at that moment that the tavern door swung open to reveal Cullen clutching an oblong case in his hand, walking towards her with an apprehensive look on his face.

“Happy birthday, Inquisitor,” he smiled as he handed her the case.

She took it gingerly and tested its weight, eyeing it dubiously.  
“What exactly am I looking at Cullen?”  
He stammered in response “I… I remembered that you said that you played, and a merchant came through with it and I couldn’t just let it languish in his cart…” he spluttered off as Grace cut him off with a gasp, turning to the case and all but clawing it open. Inside of the case lay a beautiful, amber colored violin, complete with bow. Intricate swirls of colored paint decorated the top. She picked it up almost reverently, gently plucking the strings, checking the intonation.

“Thank you. Thank you so much,” she turned towards him and he swore he could see tears in her eyes, clutching the instrument to her chest. “Oh Cullen, I could kiss you! This is… this is phenomenal!”

Varric bounded over and dragged her into the center of the room, “Oh try out the nice Commander’s gift, Songbird. You know how much you’ve been missing it.”  
Grace stood there and gently drew the bow across the strings, the tones echoing around the tavern, and the entire building grew silent. Cullen saw a flash of an emotion cross her face, somewhere between bliss and awe, and he allowed himself to smile as she took a breath and turned towards Maryden with a wide grin on her face. It did not prepare any of them for the energy that she suddenly gained, leaping into a reel, her hands moving blisteringly fast along the instrument. She winked at the bard, who picked up the tune and the two danced around each other. The whole tavern erupted in cheers, and people stomping their feet in time to the music. Cullen laughed as she twisted and turned, her left hand a flurry of notes, her right flexing expertly as she drew the bow across the strings. The duet finished in a flourish, and the floor was deafened with applause, Grace taking a deep bow, her hair falling into her face as she spun around and hugged Maryden, who was beaming.

Carefully, she put the instrument away, closing the case securely. Dorian grabbed her and dragged her into the middle of the room as Maryden started playing another song, one that Cullen recognized from Grace’s singing. They started spinning to the music, more and more couples starting to occupy the dance floor, which included to Cullen’s amusement, Blackwall and Josephine. He felt a hand push at his back as Dorian and Grace whirled past, the Tevinter mage abandoning her for Bull, and the two were caught together, forced to keep spinning to keep up with the crowd.

The bard winked at her as Grace twirled past in the arms of the Commander, and she started singing along with the rapid pace of the song.

 

_When the cold wind's a-calling_  
_And the sky is clear and bright_  
_Misty mountains sing and beckon,_  
_Lead me out into the light_

_I will ride, I will fly_  
_Chase the wind and touch the sky_  
_I will fly_  
_Chase the wind and touch the sky_

 

Cullen grinned at her as she sung; picking her up and twirling her around, letting her fingers brush the timbers of the floor above them. He relished in the feeling of her body in his hands, wondering at the lightness of her steps as she twirled in a way to avoid his feet as he stepped awkwardly through the steps of the dance –though to his credit, there were only two, move to the left and pivot. Her skirt whirled around her, her smile lit up her entire face, her voice rang through the tavern.

The song finally ended, and the floor erupted into another round of applause as Grace laughed, dizzily leaning up against Cullen’s chest.

It was another few hours until the party wound down, and Cullen helped a very giggly Grace back up to his room with her pile of presents, most in her arms, but certain ones like the shawl from Solas and the barrette from Dorian she had put on, grateful for both her hair being out of her eyes, and the ability to ward off the chill of the late evening. She sank onto her bed after carefully putting the gifts away, leaning back and sprawling over its covers. Cullen sat next to her and removed a small box from his mantle.

“I did get you something else, you know. The violin wasn’t what I had originally planned to get you.”

Grace looked over at him, confused until she saw the box. “Cullen, you know you really didn’t have to, right?” she asked, patting his hand with the box in it. He chuckled, moving behind her.

“Shush, you. Let me have this at least,” he smiled, brushing her hair back over her shoulders. “Close your eyes, Grace.” Cullen took the small pendant out of the box and draped it over her, fastening it behind her neck, and pulling her hair through and making sure it wouldn’t tangle. “Ok, you can look now.”

Grace looked down at the glass pendant laying on her chest, turning it and inspecting it. It was a tear shaped drop, with a pressed flower edged in gold entrapped under it’s surface. A delicate gold chain glinted and held it around her neck.

“Andraste’s Grace,” Grace sighed, brushing it carefully with her fingers. “You remembered.”

“How could I forget, my Lady?” Cullen breathed, pulling her chin towards his, sealing her lips with a kiss. She smiled at him, and hugged him tight, warm and happy from the evening’s events. He buried his head in her neck and breathed in the scent of mint and rosemary that she smelled of, relaxing into her touch. It had been a wonderful evening. “Happy birthday, Grace.”

**Author's Note:**

> Lyrics are from "Touch The Sky" from Brave. Great song.


End file.
